After flipping linebacker Patrick Joyner, who dropped his FSU pledge and orally committed to the Canes on Sunday, Miami is now targeting other Seminole recruits, hoping to capitalize on the coaching change in Tallahassee.

Per Canesport.com, UM has set up visits with four-star safety Jonathan Huggins and four-star outside linebacker Amari Gainer.

Huggins has decommitted from FSU and told Canesport he is leaning slightly toward Nebraska, but intends to strongly consider UM and will visit the Hurricanes campus in mid-December.

He said safeties coach Ephraim Banda told him he could wear the turnover chain on his visit.

Unlimited Digital Access: Only $0.99 For Your First Month

Huggins, from Dayonta Beach Mainland, will visit Louisville this week and also is still considering the Seminoles.

Meanwhile, UM would love to add Gainer, rated by Rivals as the No. 2 outside linebacker and the No. 62 overall prospect.

Gainer, who remains orally committed to FSU, is visiting Texas and will visit UM in mid-December.

He told Canesport that he is in contact with UM defensive coordinator Manny Diaz “every day. He says I’m a versatile player than can get after the quarterback, talks about how they like to use their linebackers.”

▪ With Joyner, UM now has 11/2 linebackers committed in this class. I say 11/2 because UM intends to use Gregory Rousseau in a viper type role — a hybrid defensive end/linebacker position.

▪ As Chris Fowler noted during the ABC broadcast on Saturday, Mark Richt’s first recruiting visit Sunday was to Las Vegas, where Richt visited oral commitment Brevin Jordan, a four-star tight end from Las Vegas.

Jordan, who plans to enroll at UM in May, is rated the No. 4 tight end and No. 107 overall prospect by Rivals.

Tight ends coach Todd Hartley accompanied Richt on the visit.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt speaks to the media after the University of Miami Hurricanes were defeated by the Clemson Tigers 38-3 in the ACC Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017.

By

▪ UM appears to have made some progress in its recruitment of Plantation American Heritage cornerback Tyson Campbell.

Four Canes coaches visited him this weekend, and his father Lucius told Canesport: “I can say it was encouraging for Miami because they’re local and it went well. Miami’s in the mix for sure.”

Campbell, who plans to sign in January, is rated the No. 10 cornerback and No. 78 overall prospect.

Campbell told our Manny Navarro last week that he’s far off from making a decision. “I think the way the fans were supporting the team, it was like how it was back in the old days; and the way their defense was playing, it was like they had their swagger again,” Campbell said. “I feel like this season has been a huge stepping stone for them for years to come.”

▪ UM is eagerly waiting word from junior defensive tackles Kendrick Norton and Richard McIntosh Jr. about whether they will turn pro. There was no decision as of Monday morning.

UM believes junior safety Jaquan Johnson will return for his senior season, though Johnson hasn’t made that official publicly.

Running back Mark Walton is turning pro.

▪ For the second time, a UM game drew more local viewers than a Dolphins game on the same weekend.

UM-Clemson drew a 12.2 local rating on ABC-10, compared with an 11.0 rating for Dolphins-Broncos on Fox-7.

Read Next

A look at where UM stands in the pursuit of the top South Florida recruits in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Only four of UM’s 15 signees attended high school in Dade, Broward or Palm Beach — the smallest haul from South Florida since 2000.